1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector connecting device having a plurality of rows of connecting terminals arranged so as to be place one above another.
2. Background
A connector connecting device of this type that is constructed as shown in FIG. 7 has heretofore been available. The connector connecting device shown in FIG. 7 has a plurality of rows of connecting terminals 1, 2 (only one connecting terminal per row is shown) arranged so as to be placed one above another in the vertical direction as viewed in FIG. 7. All the connecting terminals 1, 2 are inserted together to mold a connector receiving portion 3 that surrounds the tips 1a, 2a of these inserted connecting terminals 1, 2. A not shown connector is inserted into the connector receiving portion 3 so as to be connected.
FIG. 8 shows a mold used for molding the connector receiving portion 3. The mold includes: a lower mold 4, an upper mold 5, and an intermediate mold 6. Among those molds, the lower mold 4 serves to mold the bottom portion of the connector receiving portion 3, and is a fixed mold. On the other hand, the upper mold 5 serves to mold the top portion of the connector receiving portion 3, and is allowed to be opened upward as indicated by an arrow A. The intermediate mold 6 serves to mold the inner portion of the connector receiving portion 3, and is designed to be slid in such a horizontal direction as indicated by an arrow B (leftward as viewed in FIG. 8).
In the above example, the intermediate mold 6 molds the entire part of the inner portion of the connector receiving portion 3, the required sliding distance of the intermediate mold 6 is more than the total depth of the connector receiving portion 3, which makes the structure of the molds complicated and accordingly expensive.
In this example, slender holes 7, 8 are formed in the intermediate mold 6 so as to correspond to the connecting terminals 1, 2, so that the connecting terminals 1, 2 positioned and fixed to the lower mold 4 during mold alignment can be fitted into the slender holes 7, 8. However, it is extremely difficult to accurately align the holes with the terminals. With respect to the connecting terminal 1, in particular, which is bent at bending portions 1b, 1c, the degree of bending accuracy is not satisfactory. As a result, the positioning of the connecting terminals 1, 2 must be readjusted, which in turn leads to reduced productivity.